PINK LADY® APPLES — The Pink Lady® is an exciting apple originated in Western Australia. It is a natural cross between the Golden Delicious and Lady Williams varieties. It displays a beautiful pink blush over a yellow background, with a flavor that is both tangy and sweet. When bitten into, it presents a very refreshing and effervescent crisp crunch.
Storage: Store in a cool, dry place or refrigerate. Apples may seem crisper when they are chilled. TIP: Do NOT store any member of the apple family near carrots! The ethylene gas that apples release can turn even nice carrots bitter!
Warm Fig, Apple and Gorgonzola Flatbread Recipe
INGREDIENTS: 2 T. olive oil, 4 8-inch round flatbreads, 4 oz. crumbled gorgonzola cheese, 1 Pink Lady® apple, cored and sliced very thinly, 8 ripe figs, cut into 6 wedges each, 2 oz. Parmesan cheese, Parmegiano-Reggiano, shaved with a vegetable peeler & 2 T. honey.
PREPARATION:
Preheat grill, half direct heat. Brush olive oil on top of each flatbread, especially the edges. Assemble flatbreads with gorgonzola, apples and figs. Grill over direct heat for 3 minutes, until the bottoms are toasted and browned. Then move to indirect heat and close cover for 3 minutes to finish melting the cheese and warming the fruit.
If broiling, set rack to upper 1/3 position and grill without the toppings for 2 minutes to lightly toast. Then layer on the olive oil, gorgonzola, apples and figs and return to oven for 4-6 minutes until cheese has melted and fruit is warmed through. Sprinkle shaved Parmegiano-Reggiano and drizzle honey on top. Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer or dessert
Red D’Anjou Pears
RED D’ANJOU PEARS — These pears originated as naturally occurring bud sports found on common Green D’Anjou trees. “Bud sports” are spontaneous, naturally occurring transformations that crop up on various fruit trees, and they mostly go unnoticed. The Red D’Anjou Pear, however, is one exciting, colorful exception.
Actually, it’s an exception that occurred not once, but twice! The first red sport of D’Anjou was discovered in the early 1950’s near Medford, Oregon. A second red sport was discovered in the late 1970’s in Parkdale, Oregon.
Because the red color is only skin deep, you will notice no difference in cooking with Red D’Anjous than when you use green pears (if the recipe calls for the pears to be peeled). However, in a recipe calling for fresh pears with the skin intact, the red color can add striking contrast and eye appeal. Consider a garden green salad tossed with slices of unpeeled Red D’Anjou pears for extra vibrancy.
Storage: Ripen at room temperature. Red D’Anjous show only slight change in color as they ripen. The best indication of ripeness is the thumb test: Gentle thumb pressure near the stem will yield slightly when the pear is ripe. Store ripe pears in the refrigerator.
Southwest Chicken & Pear Salad – Surprisingly, the sweetness of pears add dimension to a salad composed of ingredients you would expect to find in a salsa!
INGREDIENTS: 3 Red D’Anjou pears, 3 T. lemon juice, Lettuce leaves, 12 oz. cooked chicken, thinly sliced, 1 medium tomato, seeded and diced, 1 c. seeded and diced cucumber, 1/4 c. chopped green chiles, 1/4 c. chopped onion, 1 small clove garlic, minced, 2 T. chopped fresh cilantro, 2 T. olive oil, Salt and pepper to taste & Fresh cilantro leaves.
PREPARATION:
Dip pears in lemon juice; arrange on lettuce leaves with chicken slices. Combine remaining ingredients (except cilantro leaves); spoon over pear halves and chicken. Garnish with cilantro leaves.
